The Gunners face league leaders Leicester City on Sunday, with the result of that game likely to be a determining factor in who ends up as title winners come the end of the campaign.

Arsene Wenger’s side have fallen away in recent weeks and are now five points off top after once having been out in front.

That has led to many questioning if they have the mentality to be champions once again, and Smith says the loss to Chelsea at the end of January also raised those questions.

“They have a really poor record in terms of staying at the top at the end of seasons,” he told Sky Sports.

“Part of that is the squad has not been strong enough, and it's partly down to mental weakness too. There has been a psychological barrier and we've seen that twice against Chelsea this season.”

“Are they mentally strong enough now to push on, to beat Leicester on Sunday, and to push on again during the difficult away games to come? Are they strong enough to get their talent across? That's still the big question for me."

Sean Lunt

Sean Lunt is a Journalism and Spanish graduate with a passion for football. As an avid Everton fan he has survived the Walter Smith era, enjoyed the resurgence under David Moyes and is now wholly embracing the Spanish revolution with Roberto Martinez. Away from Everton he follows the rest of the football league and has a particular interest in La Liga.